S​ince her son threw his hat in the ring in July, she has contributed to Democratic candidates or causes 14 times, including to former Sen. Al Franken, who has since resigned over sexual misconduct charges, and ​Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, who ran on Hillary Clinton’s ticket as her vice president.

Nicholson, who in 2000 was the president of the College Democrats in America at the University of Minnesota, said his shift from blue to red politics was gradual until he heard Democrats opposing the war in Iraq, where he served in 2007.

“I’m a conservative today not because I was born one, but because of the experience I earned as a Marine in combat, my experience as a husband and father, my choice to be a Christian, the schools I chose to attend and the decision to pursue the career that I have​,” he said.

“Regardless of who may disagree with my life decisions, I would not trade these experiences for anything, and they will always guide my views as Wisconsin’s next U.S. Senator.”